


sunny places for shady people

by arcadiia



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blackmail, Chrissy Nedley - Freeform, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Randy Nedley - Freeform, archaeologist!waverly, internpoliceofficer!nicole, this will probably be rated m at some point, trapped in airport and then other shit happens au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-21 12:31:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11944251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcadiia/pseuds/arcadiia
Summary: Young and successful archaeologist, Waverly Earp, is put in a stressful situation during an attempt to visit her sister. Amongst the chaos, Waverly meets a panicked stranger named Nicole; though she later finds that this "stranger" may become more familiar than first expected. Through sisters with malice intentions, emotions that have never before been felt, and unforgettable disaster, Waverly Earp has a storm coming; she just has yet to turn and see the clouds behind her.





	sunny places for shady people

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Each chapter of this story is going to have a song to go with it, hence the one listed at the beginning. This is my first WE fic, so bear with me as I improve my craft. Enjoy :)

**"High" - Young Rising Sons**

_Can you shake this soul of mine?_  
_Shoot my breath to the highest high_  
_Tell your truth or dress a lie_  
_Is this hello, or is it goodbye?_

\- - - - - - - - - -

_Of course._

 

Waverly accounted for setbacks, but not like this. After waking at an ungodly hour of the morning and perfecting her attempt at dressing the most “Waverly” she possibly could for the upcoming reunion with her sister, Waverly had zipped her neatly packed suitcase closed, slung the backpack filled with organized plane tickets, car rental papers, and more over her shoulders, and left for the airport a whole five hours before her flight’s departure time. Even with the hour long drive from Purgatory to the city, Waverly stepped into the airport long before her plane had reached its gate. Waverly, an optimistic but not unrealistic person, did her very best to expect the unexpected. She even called her sister that morning, telling her to be prepared to pick her up at any point in case of a delay. Waverly also had emergency money handy in case of a cancellation. But this? This was off books. Even for a planner like Waverly.

 

Chaos is surrounding Gate 32, with masses of impatient customers mobbing the gate’s counter. Waverly Earp, in shock with the series of events unfolding around her, stands with her arms folded, and mouth shut. She would wait her turn, and then give them hell; shouting at overwhelmed employees the way everyone else had decided to would get her nowhere. She hardly hears her phone ring amongst the noise.

 

“Wynonna, all the flights for the next three days are cancelled. No- No I can’t afford to switch airlines! My ticket wouldn’t be covered, I’m not completely made of money!” Waverly rolls her eyes as her sister bargains with her on the phone, already tired enough for a whole day’s worth at 10am. “Look, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to make it. I’ll call you later, Nonna, I need to figure this out.” Waverly lets out an exasperated sigh as she hangs up. Of course this would happen the one time she isn’t traveling for work. Egypt, Greece, China, or wherever it is for Waverly; if there’s a problem, it’s taken care of. Waverly is convinced she has the best internship in the world, and as she worked her way up the ranks, so did her opportunity to travel. It feels like nothing less than a dream, at least for a 22 year old working towards a phD in archaeology. But yet, here she is, destined to be stuck in the airport over an attempt to visit her sister’s new home in the United States; no site awaiting her analysis on the other side. _Sigh,_ It’s going to be a long day.

 

Waverly snaps out of her thoughts as she hears the desperate pleas of a woman near her.

 

“You have to rebook my flight today, I can’t stay here for three days! I wouldn’t be begging if I had another choice!”

 

Waverly turns, curious to see the person behind the pleading. She is met with a willowy woman who possesses fiery auburn hair that reaches just above her shoulders. She’s young, fit, and seemingly clean. Waverly wonders why someone in such a state would be so desperate, as she is obviously able to care for herself.

 

“I’m out of money sir! I can’t afford to eat here while I wait three days, let alone purchase a ticket on a different airline!” The woman yells, but not maliciously, out of breath from her panic. She puts her hands over her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. After bringing her hands back down, the woman lets out a bitter laugh and shakes her head. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she groans as she drops herself into one of the seats behind the mob of people.

 

Waverly takes note of the woman who has seemingly surrendered, slumped down into the airport seating. She looks back to the crowd of people and decides that progress wouldn’t be made for a while, so she heads towards the sitting woman. “Hey there.” Waverly says softly, leaning over the figure that now has her head in her hands over her knees.

 

The woman looks up and straightens out her back, stress clear in her eyes as she speaks. “Hi. Have we met before? Sorry that I look like a total mess right now, it’s just that-“

 

Waverly cuts her off, offering an apologetic smile. “No sorry, you just seem a bit panicked. I wanted to see if you’re okay.”

 

The woman shrugs, feeling a bit self conscious knowing how desperate she looks in that moment. Of course others would notice, but most would be too caught up with themselves to care. Obviously, the person that had to confront her would not be a gingerly old woman, but instead a face that makes her heartbeat pick up suddenly. She knows better than to let it get to her, however. Shifting herself back to reality, the woman opens her mouth hesitantly. “Oh. Well, I think we’re all panicked, yeah? Some of us just have less reason to be than others.” The woman follows the statement with her eyes, nodding towards Waverly’s expensive looking jewelry and watch. She silently scolds herself for following with such a snappy remark, and goes to apologize. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. I’m just in a bad situation, that’s all.”

 

Waverly wants to be annoyed at the woman’s snark comment, but knows it’s not entirely a personal blow. Quite evidently, this is not one of the woman’s finest moments, and Waverly decides to let it go. “It’s okay. I know it’s tricky, what’s going on today.” Waverly tries to offer up another smile and her arm as she speaks again. “I’m Waverly. Usually I like to get someone’s name before I judge their situation.” The woman in the seat’s eyes widen, which makes Waverly respond with a laugh.

 

“I’m uhh.. Nicole. Really sorry about that, again.” She shakes Waverly’s hand and rubs the back of her head, relieved that the face above was only teasing.

 

Waverly plops down into the seat adjacent to Nicole, tapping her feet on the ground playfully. “It’s fine, really.” She grins at Nicole. “But for the record, you don’t know anything about me.” The words are light out of Waverly’s mouth, but hold a warning still that Nicole is not to make assumptions. Nicole nods, getting the message.

 

“Fair,” Nicole replies, tilting her head. She fiddles with her fingers, not sure where she should draw the conversation next. Waverly picks up for her.

 

“So, do you want to tell me why you need to be rebooked so badly? I know we all want to be, but you seem a bit more worried than some others.” Waverly turns her body towards Nicole and sits sideways, folding her legs in the seat.

 

Nicole sighs deeply. “I’m out of money. I knew it was risky for me to plan this whole thing without any backup for emergences, but I would’ve missed my opportunity to go if I had taken more time to save up beforehand. I guess this is the world’s way of telling me I’m an idiot.” Nicole laughs softly after speaking, causing Waverly to do the same. Waverly would never, in any universe or reality, be in a situation where her shortcoming was planning. Though she was unable to predict a nationwide crash of an airline’s server, she did bring enough extra money to keep herself fed and most likely safe in the case of an emergency. Waverly can’t help but feel sorry for Nicole, as she is experiencing what Waverly always went out of her way to avoid.

 

“You must be starving then. I know I am after this morning so far!” Waverly stands, and offers Nicole a hand to help her up as well. “Let’s go find something to eat, this mob of chaos will still be here in an hour.” Nicole scoots back, not wanting to make a stranger spend money on her. Even if it happened to be a pretty stranger. A _very_ pretty stranger. “Thanks for checking in on me, but you really don’t need to do that. I’ll figure something out, you probably have a lot on your plate as well.” Nicole looks up at Waverly, half expecting her to smile and leave, but a selfish part of her hoping that she would stay.

 

Waverly rolls her eyes, and motions for Nicole to stand with her outstretched arm. “Don’t be silly, we’ll both be here for a while. No fun in letting you starve. Plus, now that I know your name, I’d like to know your story too before I pass judgement. You know, the way you did, before you heard mine.” Waverly winks at the red head sitting before her, and Nicole stands with a smirk.

 

“Well, Waverly, I apologize again for my fast judgement. But maybe you’ll be able to change my mind.” With that, the two women set off for their next challenge of the day: agreeing on a restaurant.

 

\- - - - - - - - - -

 

“This place always weirded me out.” Waverly looks up from her meal, an amateur seeming Caesar salad that is quite unsatisfying for her. Nicole, who’s perfectly happy with her grilled chicken breast, notices and lets out a light chuckle.

 

“It’s not too bad. Plus, beggars can’t be choosers,” Nicole motions to the lack of other options around them, widening her eyes suggestively. For a city airport, the absence of quality food is surprising. With the amount of businessmen and women that have their frequent travels out of this airport, it’s odd that none had filed any complaints.

 

“Yeah..” Waverly shrugs, and pushes her plate forwards. She then relaxes her body, and clasps her hands together. “So, Nicole. I hope you didn’t think this meal wouldn’t cost you.” Nicole looks at Waverly, having gone back down to continue eating.

 

“Oh?” She says, a hint of worry in her voice for what Waverly could ask of her.

 

Waverly smirks and rests her folded hands on the table. “I buy you lunch, you tell me why I needed to in the first place. It’s a fair trade!” She sits patiently, waiting for Nicole’s response.

 

Nicole lets her worry subside a bit, but is still unsure of what Waverly means. “Like I said, I was on a trip and ran out of money. It wouldn’t be a problem if all had gone to plan, but that doesn’t seem to be how life works.”

 

Waverly nods, giving Nicole her full attention. “No, it definitely isn’t. But I mean more than that! You said you were on a trip. Why here?” Waverly knows that she might be pressing Nicole, but she can’t help her curiosity. Nicole shifts, realizing what Waverly wanted.

 

“Well..” she starts, “I needed a change of pace, and I decided the best way to do that would be to leave home. So I started saving my paychecks, only spending money when I absolutely needed to.” Nicole grins, recalling her excited reaction upon realizing she finally had saved enough. “It might sound weird, but I wanted to do something ‘therapeutic’. In turn, backpacking was the idea I came up with. Cheaper than a full vacation, and with an added level of independence. It seemed to be just what I needed, and it was.” Nicole leans back and sighs contently. It truly had been the kind of release she was hoping for, ever since the break up. For the first time in years, Nicole felt sufficient on that trip; like she didn’t need anybody but herself to continue in life. It was liberating, in many forms. “I chose Canada because it’s far enough away to feel like a new experience, but close enough that it’s not going to empty my bank account entirely. So… There’s that.”

 

Waverly appreciates the honesty from Nicole, after all, they haven’t known each other any longer than an hour. She feels comfortable talking with the new woman. It’s a relief, knowing that she at least has someone to keep her company during the airport crisis. “I don’t think it sounds weird. I would go crazy if I didn’t travel as much as I do. So in a way, I get it.” Nicole cocks her head, watching Waverly speak. She also notices the odd comfort that Waverly had pointed out to herself, and continues her explanation.

 

“I don’t really travel. I just can’t afford it most of the time with school, and the fact that I don’t have much extra money to spend…” Nicole trails off, swallowing a lump in her throat before she opens her mouth again, “and uh, for a while, my ex would get mad if I left. That was never good. Probably why I decided this was something I wanted to do.” Nicole finishes, setting her fork and knife down on her plate. Waverly nods understandingly.

 

“Good for you!” Waverly nudges Nicole’s shoulder lightly, trying to keep their spirits high. “I spent four years with a boy who was kinda like that. My high school sweetheart,” Waverly scoffs, and Nicole laughs quietly. “When I got my internship, he pretended to be excited for me. I really thought he was, until I started traveling.” Waverly shakes her head. “Good riddance.” Replacing the annoyed look on her face at the thought of Champ, her ex boyfriend, with a goofy smile, Waverly continues. “People like that will try to hold you back, but if you’re like me, you can’t have that. My sister is pretty much the only reason I ended up kicking that loser to the curb, thank god for that.” Waverly stops, realizing she’d redirected the conversation to herself. “Sorry for rambling on about myself,” she mumbles.

 

Nicole’s smile falls a bit, noticing that Waverly must not be used to talking about herself without being shut down. She had hardly been rambling, although, it wouldn’t matter to Nicole if she had. Watching Waverly speak is delightful; the way her eyes light up with certain words, and her moving lips look undeniably soft. Nicole is slightly embarrassed by these thoughts, knowing that Waverly is just trying to be friendly. She moves in her seat, trying to refocus on the conversation. “No need to apologize!” Nicole blurts out, failing her attempt at recovery. Waverly raises her eyebrows again, and laughs.

 

“Thanks, I guess. I tend to go on and on sometimes, I just don’t want to bore. You get used to boring people when you’re an archaeologist, all those random history facts.” Waverly playfully rolls her eyes as the says the last sentence. Trying to not interrupt, the waiter drops their check on the table as he passes by. Waverly grabs it, and starts rummaging through her bag to find her wallet.

 

“You’re an archaeologist?” Nicole asks, genuinely curious about Waverly’s career. Pretty, friendly, and apparently quite intelligent. Nicole hates that she finds herself passing judgement again, but she wonders how so many qualities could fit into such a petite person. Not that she’s too surprised, Waverly definitely seems like a capable individual.

 

Waverly sits back up, wallet in hand. She doesn’t try to hide the pride on her face. “I am! Well, sort of. I guess you could say ‘archaeologist in training’. I’m trying to get my phD, but this internship makes it all feel pretty real.” Waverly looks past Nicole, thinking about her future in the career she’s chosen. “I love it,” she chirps, still looking past as her mind wanders. Nicole grins at the sight, she’s always loved watching people talk about their passions. Waverly looks especially exceptional when she does, however.

 

“That’s fantastic,” Nicole says as the waiter picks up their check, Waverly’s cash in the pocket of it. Waverly sets her gaze back to Nicole, searching her with the same curious eyes she had earlier when asking about Nicole’s travels.

 

“What about you? What do you do?”

 

Nicole takes a moment to consider Waverly’s question before responding. “I’m at a police academy, and I also have a pretty cool internship. Myrtle Beach Police Department. Even if I mostly do paperwork and pull over people with expired license plates, It’s a good time.”

 

Waverly smirks upon hearing this. “Police officer, huh? Yeah, you’d hate my sister. She can be a bit of trouble for your people.” Waverly giggles, and Nicole shrugs.

 

“I’m sure she’s not too bad. I mean, she’s not in jail or anything, right?” Nicole replies, and Waverly rolls her eyes.

 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you two have already met. She spends a fair amount of time in holding cells, trust me.” The waiter returns with Waverly’s change as she finishes her sentence, and Waverly counts out a tip before standing up. “Well, Officer Nicole, we should go back to our gate to see if things have cleared up.” Nicole’s lips turn up into a small smirk after hearing Waverly refer to her as ‘Officer’.

 

“That’s Officer Haught, to you.” Nicole jokes, stretching out her legs to follow. However, Waverly looks confused and stays put.

 

“Huh?”

 

Realizing the source of Waverly’s confusion, Nicole quickly explains. “Haught. H-A-U-G-H-T. My last name.” A look of understanding wipes the confusion off of Waverly’s face.

 

“Oh! Got it.” She sends Nicole a wink, and turns around to start walking. Nicole’s breath catches slightly as Waverly winks, but she recovers quickly with a deep breath and follows the smaller woman.

 

\- - - - - - - - - -

 

“They rebooked me, I’ll be there on Wednesday. Yeah, I know it sucks Nonna! At least you’re not the one who has to sleep in an airport for two days!”

 

Nicole listens to Waverly argue on the phone as she stands at the gate counter. Most of the crowd had dissipated when the pair returned, so her and Waverly had stepped into line to rebook their flights. The woman behind the counter clicks away at her computer, and draws Nicole’s attention back when she speaks. “The next flight to Myrtle Beach is on Wednesday at 9:05 am. Most of the people who were supposed to take today’s flight are being rebooked onto this one. Does that work for you, Ms. Haught?” Nicole nods quickly. Wednesday. It’s hardly noon on Monday, meaning that would be two nights with nowhere to sleep comfortably and no money. Nicole had gotten used to sleeping in uncomfortable places throughout her backpacking trip, but she’s incredibly exhausted. The money part also remains a huge issue. Originally, though, it was supposed to be three days, so she takes what she can get. After grabbing her new boarding passes from the woman at the counter with a quick “thank you”, Nicole walks over to the gate seating and slouches down. She watches as Waverly finishes her phone conversation and approaches where she spots Nicole sitting.

 

“Hey,” Waverly says in an exasperated tone that Nicole assumes is from arguing. “Did you get rebooked?” Nicole draws in a deep breath and nods, shutting her eyes briefly.

 

“Wednesday. Looks like I’ll have to get used to eating out of the trash.” Waverly laughs sympathetically at Nicole’s (hopefully) sarcastic remark.

 

“I’m guessing we’re on the same flight. I’m not going to let you starve, you know.” Nicole starts to protest again after hearing what Waverly says, not wanting the generous girl to spend even more on her just because she is the world’s worst planner.

 

“That won’t be necessary. You already paid for me once, that’s more than I could ask for.” Nicole states plainly, rubbing the back of her neck as she tries to sit up straighter. Waverly crosses her arms, and gives Nicole a stern look.

 

“Okay. Nope. I saw how hungry you were then, I’m guessing you didn’t eat much on your trip either if you were backpacking. So yes, if I eat, you will as well. No exceptions!” Nicole can’t help but think how adorable Waverly looks, with her stubborn expression and serious eyes. Realizing that Waverly will likely not let her get her way, Nicole gives in.

 

“Fine. But when I’m home, you’re going to let me pay you back somehow. Every cent!” Nicole asserts, and Waverly nods, seeming satisfied.

 

“Deal.” Waverly smirks, happy that she won. Her phone buzzes, and a text is visible on the screen as she pulls it out of her pocket. When she reads the sender’s name, Waverly lets out a groan and shoves the device back where it came from.

 

Nicole notices, and decides to be a bit nosy. “I heard you on the phone, you sounded pretty annoyed.”

 

Waverly runs a hand through her straightened hair, pushing the sides of it back and letting them fall. “My sister. I’m supposed to be visiting her, and she’s impatient.” Nicole lets out a small “oh” and looks up at the woman before her, who is still standing.

 

“Sorry about that. I hope everything is alright between you two,” Nicole says, worry clear in her tone.

 

Waverly sighs, sitting next to Nicole. “We’ll be fine. She can be frustrating, but I love her too much to stay mad.” Nicole moves her head to face the woman to her left.

 

“Glad to hear that.”

 

Waverly smiles, and Nicole moves back to her original position. They sit silently for a moment, but it is a comfortable absence of words. Suddenly, Waverly claps her hands together. “So, it looks like you’re company for the next two days, Nicole. And you know what? I’m not gonna let us be bored for a second.” Waverly jumps up, and Nicole is taken aback by her energy.

 

“I don’t doubt that,” Nicole declares truthfully. Oddly enough, she doesn’t even feel all that upset anymore about having to sleep on a hard floor that’s hundreds of miles from home for two nights. Nicole admits, to herself, that it might have something to do with Waverly.

 

Or everything to do with Waverly.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> comments make the author happy!
> 
> thanks for reading <3


End file.
